Carmen Ruiz was born in Chihuahua, Chih. Mexico, where she lived until 1997. That’s when her family embarked on a journey to the United States with the dream of a better future.
Today, Carmen is a youth services librarian at San Diego County Library. Her relationship with the library started at a young age. With her parents working all day, Carmen and her siblings spent most of their afternoons at the Chula Vista library, nurturing their love of learning and reading.
“My dad was the only person who knew English when we moved and I believe that, thanks to the library, we were able to learn the language in a year,” Carmen says. “By the next year, we were no longer in bilingual classes, and we were able to integrate into English-only classes.”
After receiving a degree in literature, Carmen decided that she also wanted to give back to her community, helping people feel as supported as she had felt when she was a kid.
Carmen is a big advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, and she especially loves how the library is a safe, free space for families, performers of all walks of life, children, and teenagers.
Thanks for being part of our SDCL team, Carmen!
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